The Master Enslaved
by Chakat StarDust
Summary: It is rare for a Raitoko to be on the selling block for slaves and Yami, the son of a wealthy businessman wastes no time in purchasing the rare creature. His new aquaisition pleads to be allowed to go free, that he is the Healer for his clan, but Yami refuses. After many escape attempts Yami takes Yugi with him on a journey where he finds that the tables will be turned on him.
1. Chapter 1

Star: I own nothing!

Yami Sennen walked through the marketplace, casting a bored gaze on the various stalls set up. Salesmen held out pretty trinkets and expensive cloth, but he simply moved on. He wasn't here for their wares. The auction block was still being set up, but already there was quite the crowd gathered. There had been rumours that one of those to be sold was a very unusual specimen.

The auction began not long after he arrived, and Yami was quickly bored. Those on the auction block were the usual, spoils of war, disobedient slaves, young men and women being sold because their families were poor, nothing unusual. He was yawning by the time it was almost over and took a moment to look at his pocket watch.

A collective gasp made him look up and his mouth dropped open at the being that was let to the auction block, fighting all the way. The creature looked human, for the most part, except for a long, thin, short-furred tail ending in a long-haired plume, as well as long, pointed furry ears sprouting from the sides of his head. A Raitoko.

He kept gaping, because the creature looked a lot like him. Many people had commented on Yami's unusual hair. It spiked naturally, sticking up from his head in a star-like pattern. His bangs were blonde, while the body of his hair was black with a few blonde streaks, with red tips on the ends of the black hair. The Raitoko had similar hair to him, lacking the blonde streaks as well as having a small curl of blonde hair over his forehead that Yami lacked.

The Raitoko's large violet eyes darted about, looking for a way out, Yam supposed. He was gagged, his arms bound behind his back and his tail tied to his waist. His tail was black furred, the plume bright red. His long fuzzy ears were black as well, one tipped with blonde. His features were soft, cherubic, which was belied by the lean muscle Yami could see on his form. He was beautiful and he had to have him.

The auction started and people started calling out numbers. Yami scoffed; his father was the richest man in this town, no one else would be able to match his bids. He let the others go back and forth for a little bit though, waiting until there was only a few bidders left. They had just called out a price of 50,000 credits when Yami chose to speak up.

"100,000 credits." He called. All conversation stopped and people turned to look at him. He stood, arms folded, smiling smugly as the auctioneer called for someone to raise his bid. No one dared of course and Yami grinned as he walked up to claim his prize.

%&%&%&%

_Stupid, stupid, stupid. _Yugi berated himself for the thousandth time, trying in vain to escape from his bonds. His tail had a kink in it from being put in an uncomfortable position and the ropes around his wrists were far too tight. The gag was just adding insult to injury really, though he supposed that after biting one of his captors hard enough to draw blood they weren't going to take chances with him.

He should have waited for an escort to go looking for herbs outside of their clan's valley. He should have been paying more attention to his surroundings. Now, he'd been captured. He was in trouble, and his clan would be in trouble too if he didn't get back to them as soon as he could.

He looked at the human who had bought him, startled by how similar they looked. The human's eyes were bright scarlet though, and watched him with a predatory gleam that made Yugi want to curl his tail protectively between his legs. The human's features were sharper too, and he wore a self-satisfied smirk that spoke of years of getting exactly what he wanted, when he wanted it.

_Wonderful, I've been sold to a rich man's brat, who's probably never worked a day in his life._ Yugi cursed his own stupidity again, hissing in the gag as he was led over to his new 'master'. "Careful with this 'un, he's already bitten a few people, and will run soon as he thinks he's got an opening." The auctioneer said, yanking a little on Yugi's tail. Yugi glared at him, daring him to come a little closer.

"Feisty, I like that." The human purred. Yugi would have called him handsome, if it wasn't for the fact that he was now going to be his plaything if he didn't get away. He schooled his features into something a little less hostile. Maybe if he explained things to the human, he would let him go. He doubted it, but he'd always been taught to think the best of people first.

"Thank you for your patronage, Master Yami." The auctioneer said, tipping his hat to the human. The human, Yami, gripped Yugi's upper arm and led him away. Yugi went quietly, this was no place for him to try and escape.

Yami walked him through the streets and Yugi felt his ears fold up against his skull at the whispers that followed him. They soon came upon a large estate, ringed by a stone wall and gilded iron gates. Yugi snorted at the extravagance, the gardens were lovely, and the stables were probably there for function, but did anyone really need all this space?

Yami led him through the house, up a couple flights of stairs and into a bedroom that was bigger than Yugi's whole house and filled with useless knick-knacks and strewn about with clothes and books. Yami forced him to kneel on the floor and walked away from him for a moment. Yugi was busily figuring out escape routes in his head.

He jumped and tried to jerk away as something was clipped around his neck. "Easy, my pet." Yami chuckled. "It's only to show that you belong to me, otherwise someone might try to take you." The gag was removed from his mouth and Yugi spat out a few loose fibers.

"My name is Yugi, not pet." He said steadily. "I will answer to no other name."

"You are spirited, aren't you?" Yami said, touching his cheek.

"You need to let me go." Yugi said. "Please."

"And why would I do that?" Yami asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I am the healer of my clan, they need me." Yugi explained.

"They will find someone else." Yami said, waving a hand in the air.

"It does not work like that, we are not like your cities where there are many people for one job." Yugi said firmly. "I am the only one who knows the art, I have no apprentice, and we cannot ask another clan to give up their healer, not with winter coming." Yugi let the human see some of his fear for his people, hoping it would sway him.

There was a pregnant young woman in Yugi's clan, and her pregnancy so far had been hard. He feared that when she gave birth there would be complications. He shuddered to think of what might happen if he was not there to assist with the birth.

"Well, they'll have to figure something out." Yami said, unconcerned. "You are mine now, I do not intend to let you go."

"You may have bought me, but I belong to no one but myself." Yugi said. "And if any of my clan dies because you refused to release me, may their deaths weigh on your soul."

"You are being overdramatic." Yami stated. Yugi just glared at him. "This is your home now, that is all that matters."

"No, home is where I am free." Yugi replied, shaking his head. "And I will never be free here."

"You say that now." Yami said with a smirk. "I suppose I must teach you how to be civilized." He mused softly, looking over Yugi's clothes, which were made of deer hide. His feet were bare; easier to feel the earth that way.

"You call yourself civilized when you trade away the lives of other people?" Yugi scoffed.

"Yours do not keep slaves?" Yami asked, looking interested.

"We keep criminals as slaves, for punishment." Yugi replied. "Not children." He hissed at Yami, remembering the young men and women who had been caged beside him.

"I see talking with you will not convince you." Yami said, sighing dramatically.

"Likewise." Yugi said coldly.

"I have things to do, and I do not think I can trust you not to run away." Yami said. "I will let you stay like this for a little while, maybe it will serve to enlighten you."

"At least release my tail." Yugi pleaded as Yami stood up. Yami looked down at him, considering his request. "It hurts."

Yami chuckled softly again and walked around behind Yugi. Yugi felt the ropes fall away from his tail and flicked it away from Yami when he tried to stroke the fur on it, curling it around himself and letting it rest on the floor.

"It is sensitive." He explained quietly. "Touch is not encouraged, unless one knows what touches will not cause discomfort."

Yami patted him on the head, as though he were some kind of dog and sauntered out of the room. Yugi hissed at the closed door and began thinking of how he was going to escape this place.


	2. Chapter 2

Star: So for those that asked I made up the name Raitoko by smashing the Japanese word for lion (raion) and man (otoko) together. I own nothing!

It had taken several uncomfortable minutes for Yugi to move his bound hands from behind his back to his front. If his tail had still been tied up, he would not have done it, since it was so easy to cause him pain that way. He paused when he was done, listening, his long ears twitching and moving in all directions.

Once he was satisfied that he was indeed alone he got up, moving quietly around the room in search of something to help him get loose. He didn't have to search long; the human had left a letter opener sitting on his desk. Yugi shook his head at the arrogance of the human, thinking that he wouldn't be clever enough to get himself loose.

He worked the knife between his hands carefully, slowly cutting through the ropes that chafed his wrists. He paused every so often to listen, making sure no one was coming his way. It was tedious work, but learning to be a healer had taught Yugi the virtues of patience, so he simply kept working without getting frustrated.

He flexed his hands, rubbing his wrists once he was free of his bonds. He reached up to touch the collar around his neck, trying to see how he could get it off. It wouldn't come apart when he tugged at it, appearing to be locked somehow, and the leather was too hard for him to cut through with just his knife. Just as well though, he might have wound up cutting himself in the process. There was a metal ring set in the front of it; he wasn't sure what purpose it served.

He hissed out a curse anyways, tucking the letter opener into his belt. His tail swished behind him as he considered his options. It was probably too risky to try and just walk out of the room, pretending to be on an errand for his 'master'. Yugi bared his teeth at the thought of calling anyone 'master'.

Walking out the door was out, so he crept over to the balcony that he could see. The doors were already open, so he didn't have to worry about trying to unlock them or anything. He stayed low, so that no one looking up would be able to see him. He peeked over the railing, trying to get a sense of where he was and how he was going to get out.

He was facing the back gardens, which were even more extravagant than the front ones. Yugi rolled his eyes; most of the plants were pretty, but that's all they were, pretty. He could see no plants that would be of use for medicines, nor any that could be food. What was the point of having so much space if you weren't going to use it for something productive? Humans were strange.

However, their carelessness was working in his favour, because there was a rather good-sized tree right alongside the wall. He could use it, jump up top the wall and then climb down. There was forest on the other side of the wall, so he'd be safer in there. Not safe, he reminded himself, never safe until he knew that the humans were far behind.

He climbed down from the balcony, dropping into the garden soundlessly. He heard someone coming and ducked into the foliage. A human encased in metal walked by. Armour, Yugi thought to himself, it's called armour. That meant the human was a guard, so he would have to watch out for him and any other guards that were around.

He cautiously crept through the gardens, staying low and hiding in the plants whenever he could. He hated how slow he was going, because freedom was right there, but it was better to be slow and actually get out than to rush and be caught.

He made it to the tree and looked around for a moment before digging his fingers into the bark and starting to climb up. He was only a few feet off the ground when an arrow thudded into the tree just by his outstretched hand. He yelped in surprise and lost his grip, falling onto his behind painfully.

A hand grabbed the collar around his neck and hauled him up to his feet, while another hand plucked the knife from his belt. He looked up at the stone-faced guard. "What are you doing?" The guard demanded.

"Picking flowers?" Yugi said, wincing at his poor excuse. The guard just glowered at him and inspected the collar closely. Yugi lifted his hands to strike at him, but the guard twisted his hand and suddenly Yugi found his air cut off. He whined and let his hands fall to his sides. He was caught, he'd missed his chance.

The guard, still gripping Yugi's collar, began to walk back to the house. Yugi had no choice but to follow, his tail twitching with anxiety. He'd heard what humans did to slaves that misbehaved, and he was not looking forward to what he thought was coming.

Yami looked up as Yugi was led to him. "Found him outside, trying to climb a tree. He had this with him." The guard handed Yami the knife and Yami looked at it, and then Yugi. He sighed, a long-suffering sound that made Yugi want to bite him. He settled for glowering at the human instead.

"Take him up to my room, bind him, make sure he's bound to something so he can't get away." Yami said dismissively. "I will deal with him in a little while."

Yugi was nearly dragged back up the stairs, into Yami's room. His hands were tied behind his back again and his tail was tied with them. He was forced to his knees and the guard threaded a chain through the ring in his collar and then attached it to the bed post, then he left, closing the door behind him.

Yugi sighed, testing the bonds. They were tight, and his tail was already beginning to cramp. He shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position, but it was a useless venture. He closed his eyes and tried to meditate, attempting to clear his mind. He was too wound up though, and so lifted his head again, trying to think of other ways to escape.

After what seemed like an eternity Yami returned. "And here I thought that I could leave you alone without you getting into trouble." He said, folding his arms and staring at Yugi. Yugi stared back and snorted.

"If you cannot predict that an unwilling captive will go for any opportunity to escape, then you are not very bright." He said.

"Manners, my wildcat." Yami admonished. Yugi hissed at him in reply. Yami turned away, rummaging around in the mess that was his room. "It is unfortunate that you have forced my hand."

"If you'd let me go you wouldn't have to do anything." Yugi replied, watching his movements uneasily.

"Give it time, my pet." Yami said, turning back, a crop in his hands. "You will see, this is a better life for you."

"Is that thing in your hands meant to convince me of that?" Yugi demanded.

"This is an unfortunate tool, but a necessary one all the same." Yami replied. "Since this is your first offence, I will not hit on bare skin."

"How kind of you." Yugi hissed. He struggled as Yami came near, but his bonds were too tight. There was the sound of a swish and then a crack and Yugi cried out from the stinging pain. The crop came down four more times and then Yami stopped. Yugi fought back tears of pain and humiliation and glared at Yami.

"Now, don't look at me like that." Yami chided. "You forced my hand." He undid the ropes around Yugi's wrists and tail, and unwound the chain from his bedpost. He tugged on it, making Yugi get to his feet.

"I forced your hand." Yugi repeated. "And you wonder why I do not wish to be here, if this is how I am to be treated."

"There is an easy solution." Yami pointed out. "Don't disobey."

"Your solutions leave much to be desired." Yugi said. Yami had led him over to a cot that rested beside Yami's bed. "So I am to sleep by your bed like a dog?" He demanded as the chain attached to him was attached to the bed once more.

"This would go a lot easier if you'd stop criticizing your new home." Yami said. Yugi snorted at him, wondering if he was willfully ignorant or if he just didn't have any idea of why this was all so insulting to him. "Besides, perhaps soon you will get to sleep in the bed with me." He added with a decidedly uncomfortable leer.

"Never." Yugi said. "We do not bed those we do not plan to spend the rest of our lives with."

"Good, then there won't be a problem." Yami said glibly.

"No, such bonds are formed of love, there can be no love between us, not when you hold me against my will." Yugi said.

"Time will change your mind." Yami said confidently. "Now I'm going to go back to the conversation that you took me away from."

"Sorry I'm such a bother." Yugi said sarcastically as Yami walked out. When Yami was gone he let the tears that he'd been holding back fall, lying down on his stomach and trying to ignore the stinging pain of his back. He prayed silently to the ancestors to give him strength while he was trapped here.


	3. Chapter 3

Star: I own nothing!

Yugi despised everything about his captivity. He hated being collared like an animal, he hated being chained when he was left alone in Yami's room, he hated the boredom of being left alone in Yani's room, he hated the clothes he was wearing, they were tight and uncomfortable, and the hole for his tail wasn't wide enough. The seamstress had been rude enough to suggest removing his tail, but thankfully Yami seemed to like it.

No matter how he explained to Yami that his tribe would be in trouble without him, but Yami would only smile at him as though he was being particularly cute and ignore him. Meanwhile, Cecilia's due date was fast approaching, and Yugi was scared that the poor girl was not even going to last until then. No matter how many times he prayed, no chances for escape came for him.

His deepest fears in regards to Yami had yet to be realized. He was afraid that Yami would try to take what he wanted from him with force if Yugi kept denying him, but Yami hadn't. Yami would touch, stroke and bestow small kisses upon him, but the moment Yugi pulled away from him he did not try to pursue him anymore. Yugi suspected Yami believed that he would come to him willingly in time.

What Yami failed to understand was that his people felt that sex was a commitment, a consummation of a bond. What Yami wanted was a fuck, he wanted to feel good, and he wanted bragging rights about having fucked a Raitoko. But no matter what, Yami would eventually get bored of his new toy, and Yugi would be left with nothing, so he refused to give himself away, even if it meant being punished or sold again.

Of course none his refusals to be a good 'pet' stopped Yami from showing him off to friends. Which was why he was chained to a wall in a ridiculously big ballroom, dressed in uncomfortable clothes, a bow of all things on his tail, having to listen to spoiled rich boys and girls ooh and ah over him while Yami looked on, that infuriatingly superior smirk firmly fixed on his face.

It wouldn't be so bad, except people kept touching him, stroking his ears, running their hands over his plume. He asked them politely not to touch him, and to his surprise, many of them listened. Some, however, took that as a challenge, and their touches became decidedly less fleeting.

One of them kept at him, even when he moved away as much as he could. The chain was long, giving him room to move around if he wanted to, but it wasn't long enough to keep him away from pursuers. The man cornered him again, and Yugi had enough.

"Leave me alone." He hissed, baring his teeth and folding his ears back.

"Such a cute little kitty." The man cooed instead. "And you're not even putting out for your master, what's the matter, he's not enough for you?" He pushed Yugi against the wall. "I bet I can do better."

"Let me go." Yugi demanded, struggling in the man's grip. The man only smirked and his hand travelled down Yugi's body, groping at his groin. Yugi's temper, which had been on low boil since he'd been captured snapped and he snarled, his hand snapping out and striking the man in the face. The man staggered back and immediately began screaming like someone was killing him.

Yugi moved away, but was stopped by a tug on his chain. He turned back to see Yami holding onto his chain, a disappointed look on his face. "What happened?" He asked the man, who now had a few scratches in his cheek.

"I was just talking to him and he went off on me." The man whined. Yugi opened his mouth to defend himself, but Yami tugged the chain again. Yugi closed his mouth and scowled, but tried again.

"That's not what happened at all-"

"Be silent, or your punishment will be worse." Yami said sternly.

"**I spit on your ancestors' graves." **Yugi hissed in his native tongue.

"I imagine those weren't very kind words." Yami said. "Kneel." Yugi stared at him. Yami stalked forward and gripped Yugi's collar, forcing him to his knees. His shirt was lifted, exposing his back. He tensed, knowing what was coming next, and that it was going to hurt a lot more than the first time.

"Ten lashes, for injuring a guest." Yami said. The first blow came, feeling like fire against his back. He cried out with each strike. By the last one he was crying openly, both in pain and humiliation at the laughter he could hear at his expense.

Yami's hand gripped his collar again and he was yanked to his feet and marched back up to Yami's room. Once he was chained to the bed Yami left him again and Yugi screamed in anger and anguish, curling up into a ball on his cot and crying loudly. He stayed curled up, dozing until a hand touched his head.

He sat up, backing up until he hit the wall and bared his teeth at Yami. "Don't touch me." He spat. "Don't presume to be gentle with me after being so violent."

"You brought that on yourself." Yami said, irritatingly calm. "What on earth possessed you to attack someone?"

"He touched me-"

"Touched you?" Yami interrupted. "You had people touching you all night, what was so offensive about him?"

"If you'd let me finish what I was saying." Yugi said through gritted teeth. "He touched me, intimately." Yami stared at him silently. "And he showed no signs of stopping, so if you expect me to allow myself to be raped…" He trailed off, tears in his eyes.

"I-I didn't…" Yami stuttered. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Yugi laughed derisively. "If you remember correctly, I tried, and you cut me off." He pointed out. "My defences of myself meant nothing to you then, why should you care now?"

"I would not have punished you if I had known! He had no right to touch you like that!" Yami declared.

"Why, because he would spoil what belongs to you?" Yugi demanded. "Because I'm your property and therefore no one else can play with me?"

"You're looking at it wrong." Yami said.

"I really don't think I am." Yugi replied. "I'm not a person to you, I'm just a thing, a toy for you to play with."

"If you were merely a toy, I would have taken you the first night, despite any protests you might have." Yami told him sternly.

"That doesn't mean I'm not a toy to you, that just means you like your toys without too many bumps and bruises." Yugi said. "If I was actually a person to you, you'd listen to me, you'd let me go back to my clan, you'd let me do what I need to do, but you don't, because then you'd lose your pretty little bauble."

"Enough." Yami said.

"It's never enough, because you can't get it through your thick skull that I am never going to be the obedient, willing pet that you want me to be." Yugi said harshly. "You're a spoiled brat who's used to getting exactly what he wants without having to do anything to earn things. And once you've had enough of me, you'll drop me, so why should I give you anything?"

"Any other master might have beaten you for saying such things." Yami said softly. "Maybe you should remember that."

"Go ahead, punish me, it's not going to make me any more inclined to be obedient to you." Yugi said stubbornly. "I have people who care about me, people who are worried about me, and I have people who depend on me, so I am never going to stop trying to get away from you, no matter how much drivel you spout about being such a kind master, because at the end of the day, I am not where I need to be."

"Your people will move on." Yami said dismissively.

"Cecilia is due, any day now." Yugi said softly. "Her pregnancy has been so hard, she's already bled once, so much, she's not strong and if there's no one to help her, we could lose both the baby and her. There is no one close enough to help our tribe, and we cannot take away another tribe's healer, not so close to the snows, they will not be able to get through the passes."

"That is not my problem." Yami said.

"And that is why I will never submit to you." Yugi said with a regretful smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Star: I own nothing!

Yami had backed off after Yugi's outburst after the party, which Yugi was at once grateful for, and exasperated by. He was grateful not to be touched and paraded about like a prize, but he was annoyed because Yami clearly thought that if he gave him some space he would come around. Yugi just didn't know how to make Yami understand why he refused to be made into the pet he wanted.

He made his point by attempting to escape twice more. He was captured each time, and Yami punished him, marring his back further. Yugi understood that it was meant to teach obedience, but all it did for him was make him more desperate to escape. Most days he lounged around the room, bored out of his mind, like right now.

"Come, Yugi, we are leaving." Yami said, flinging open the doors to his room and dragging a travel bag out of the mess of his room and filling it with clothing.

"Leaving, for where?" Yugi asked, watching him warily.

"A friend of the family." Yami answered. "It will take a good couple days' ride."

"And you're taking me with you?" Yugi asked in disbelief.

"Of course." Yami said. "Can't leave you behind, who knows what kind of trouble you could get up to."

Yugi didn't point out that he could get up to even more trouble out on the road. If Yami wanted to be that stupid, Yugi wouldn't stop him. He watched silently as Yami threw clothes into the bag, both for himself and for Yugi.

%&%&%&%

Of course it wasn't as simple as just making a run for it. Yami was smart enough to have his hands tied in front of him, and then to the saddle of the horse he was riding on. He was sitting in front of Yami on the horse, with Yami's arm around his middle. There wasn't really a comfortable spot for his tail, so he just had to bear it for now.

Thankfully he wasn't tied all that well to the saddle, and as the day went on he slowly wiggled the ropes on the saddle into a position that he could get loose. It was slow going, since he was afraid that someone might figure out what he was doing, and he wanted to be in familiar territory before he tried making a run for it.

The road they were on would take them close to the valley where his clan was, and if he was lucky, there would be someone out on patrol to help him. Yugi had learned the limits of his patience in the last several weeks, and it was long past the time when Cecilia was supposed to have her child, so he did not have a reason to use too much haste.

The sun was starting to get low in the sky before Yugi started to really recognise his surroundings. He tested his bonds, finding that he'd managed to slip the rope off the saddle. He took one look around and then lunged sideways. He and Yami toppled off the horse and Yugi was immediately up and running.

%&%&%&%

It was a lovely, quiet ride until the world tilted and Yami found himself on the ground with the wind knocked out of him. He heard the patter of running feet and knew what had just happened. He lifted his head in time to see Yugi run headlong into the forest surrounding the road.

"YUGI!" He bellowed, getting to his feet and running after him. He probably should have waited, but Yugi was fast, and he was in his element, so he didn't want to let him get out of his sight. He could see Yugi just ahead of him, but he kept getting snagged by branches and nearly tripped up by roots. He was going to lose Yugi before long if this kept up.

He did get lucky when Yugi paused, looking around, big ears swivelling in all directions, and let out a piercing cry. Yami put on a burst of speed to catch up to him. Yugi managed to see him coming and turned to run again, but Yami managed to reach out and grab his tail.

Yugi screamed in agony and Yami let go in surprise and horror. Before he could recover, someone pushed him down to the ground from behind and tied his hands behind his back. "Yugi-" His cry was cut off by a gag shoved in his mouth. He was then hauled to his feet as Yugi began to speak in that lyrical language he had heard a time or two.

The person holding him answered in the same tongue and Yugi looked at Yami for a moment before looking away and saying something softly. Something settled over Yami's eyes, blinding him and he was forced to walk. He shivered slightly, having no idea what was in store for him; he had no idea how vindictive Yugi would be.

They seemed to walk for hours, his clothes getting more and more ripped up as they walked through the forest. His feet were sore, his legs were sore, but he couldn't complain about it, or even try and get away. He wondered if this was how Yugi felt when he was captured at first, like his heart was trying to pound its way out of his chest.

Eventually he began to hear the murmur of other voices, curious and a little hostile as well. Yugi said something beside him and they kept on moving. After a couple more minutes of walking they stopped, and Yami was forced to his knees. The blindfold came off and Yami blinked in the fading daylight.

He was surrounded by Raitoko of all ages, their tails and ears in a riot of colours. The one standing on a raised rock in front of him drew his eyes. He was young, early twenties at best, but carried himself with an air of authority. His eyes were a bright, hard blue, his hair dark brown. His ears were the same shade of brown, as well as his tail, with his plume a darker shade of brown.

Yugi went and knelt in front of him, tail flat against the ground and began to speak. The young Raitoko, Yami assumed he was the chief or whatever, shifted his gaze to Yami a couple times and Yami almost recoiled from the coldness in his eyes.

The 'chief' spoke to Yugi for a moment and Yami watched his ears and tail wilt. Yugi stood up and went to one of the Raitoko watching. The Raitoko had long white hair, though he looked fairly young, white ears and tail, and sad brown eyes. Yugi knelt in front of him, saying something softly. The other shook his head and said something in reply. Yugi nodded his head, tears falling down his cheeks.

He stood back up again and faced the chief, speaking again. There was a general rumble from the assembled crowd at his words. The chief smirked a little and nodded his head in assent at whatever Yugi had said.

"You have cost us a great deal of trouble, human." The chief said suddenly, addressing him.

"You speak my tongue?" Yami asked, mouth gaping open.

"Of course, we have had dealings with your kind for generations." The chief said with a sniff. "Very few, however."

"What are you going to do to me?" Yami asked nervously, not liking the looks on the Raitokos faces.

"My first inclination was to kill you, for your actions against us, a warning to others." The chief mused. "But we believe in tit-for-tat, an eye for an eye, so your punishment will be that you will get to experience life as a slave, as you forced Yugi to experience."

"Slavery?" Yami burst out, unable to believe his ears. "Wait, please, my father is very rich, he'll give you whatever you want in exchange for me."

"We have no need of money, or goods, we are self-sufficient." The chief said. "Besides, the point of punishment is to teach, and if we ransom you it teaches you nothing. Your punishment will be served until such a time as we feel that you have learned."

"And what am I meant to be learning?" Yami ground out angrily.

"That is for you to figure out on your own." The chief said.

"And if I refuse?" Yami asked.

"We have our ways of making you comply." The chief answered. "That will be revealed to you once we have the ancestors' approval. You will live with Yugi, but you will answer the call of anyone who wishes you to do something for them. Disobedience will not be tolerated and will result in further punishment. The passes are guarded, so I would advise against trying to escape. Yugi."

"Yes, Seto?" Yugi asked. Seto spoke in their own tongue for a moment and Yugi nodded his head. Seto moved off, followed by most of the Raitoko. Yugi took a hold of his arm and led him away.


	5. Chapter 5

Star: I own nothing!

Yugi didn't speak to Yami as he led him to his home. Thankfully Yami seemed to be in shock and did not try to talk to him either. Yugi felt numb, like he was moving in a dream. The feeling would end, he knew, and he would wind up breaking down, but for now that tide of emotions were being held back and he was grateful for that.

The houses in the village were made of a mix of reeds and straw mixed with clay, and were dome-shaped. Each house was painted with symbols of luck and protection. Yugi led Yami inside and sighed slightly. His home was smaller than Yami's extravagant bedroom, but it had enough for him.

A stone slab dominated the far wall, with a low, hollow dome made out of clay overtop it, which had a vent to the outside hidden inside. The stone had a dip in it, which was coloured black by years of charcoal. This was his fireplace, and someone had left wood in it for him.

He had several shelves, which were full of dried and fresh herbs and jars full of various salves, ointments and potions to cure ailments. Yugi was glad to see that his supplies had been replenished for him; his people had not given up hope that he would be back home.

The floor was covered in furs, to keep feet warm during the winter. Yugi's bed was wooden, and raised off the ground. His mattress was stuffed with fluff to make it soft, and he even had his own pillow, a symbol of his elevated status as healer. The other bed in the house was a cot, which would have been his apprentice's once he'd taken one, but for now would serve as Yami's bed.

Yugi made Yami sit on his new bed and around the house, inspecting his supplies, seeing if he was going to have to do without anything this winter. The snows were not far off, he could smell it in the air, so there wasn't going to be much good left for him to forage for. Thankfully, whoever had been collecting for him knew what they were doing.

"You can't honestly be agreeing with this." Yami spoke behind him. Yugi's ears folded back in anger.

"And why not?" He demanded, not looking at Yami.

"Your protests about being enslaved, why would you subject someone else to that?" Yami demanded. Yugi whirled to face him.

"They wanted to kill you." He hissed. Yami's eyes widened at that. "A life for a life, that is how we do justice. I convinced them not to, so this is your punishment."

"But what about my father, my friends?" Yami said.

"They'll find someone else." Yugi said.

"That's not how it works." Yami protested.

"You seem to think so." Yugi pointed out. Yami opened and then closed his mouth, glaring at Yugi. "This is your home now, your life now, you will learn to like it." Yugi added sarcastically. A knock came at his door and he opened it to find his best friend, Jonouchi, standing there.

"**The ancestors made this for your prisoner." **Jonouchi said, holding up a thin strip of leather with symbols on it. They were symbols for obedience and punishment. Yugi went over to Yami and tied it around his neck.

"It will not come off, not until the ancestors decide that you have learned." Yugi told Yami, who tugged at the tight leather. "It is spelled. If you try to disobey an order it will tighten, if you continue to disobey, it will choke you. If you try to leave the valley, it will choke you. If you try to hurt anyone, it will choke you."

"So I am to obey or die." Yami said angrily.

"Yes." Yugi said.

"**You should have just let them kill him." **Jonouchi growled.

"**No, I want him to learn what exactly he did to me, I want him to understand." **Yugi said fiercely.

"**Yugi, I'm not sure he can learn." **Jonouchi replied. **"Humans are stubborn, you know that." **

"**I do, but I want to try." **Yugi replied. He hugged Jonouchi, who squeezed back fiercely. **"I missed you."**

"**Missed you too. Made sure you had all your herbs, knew you'd always come back." **Jonouchi said.

"**Can you do me a favour, and get this off me?" **Yugi asked, indicating his collar.** "I can't do it on my own without slicing myself open."**

"**I can do that." **Jonouchi agreed, taking out his sharp hunting knife. A few minutes of sawing and Yugi was free of that blasted collar.

"**Remind me to burn that." **He said, kicking it away. Jonouchi grinned at him.

"**Should go, I'm leading the hunt today. I'll bring you back a nice big buck." **

"**Thanks Jonouchi." **Yugi said. Jonouchi grinned at him and then walked out. Yugi sighed and looked at the door for a few minutes before coming to a decision. He found his old clothing and got out of the uncomfortable outfit he had on. He found his winter coat and inspected it. It could use a bit of darning, but it would do for now.

"I'm going out." He told Yami. "Do not leave, do not touch anything, do you understand?" He asked. Yami bared his teeth at him, but nodded his head all the same. Yugi couldn't resist one more dig at him before leaving. "Good pet."

Yugi walked through the village. People called out greetings to him, happy to have him back. Yugi smiled back at them, but his heart wasn't in it. He felt like he'd failed them all and that they should be punishing him, not welcoming him back. Not even Pegasus was angry at him.

He trudged towards the glen of ancestors, able to hear their song long before he stepped into the woods. The glen of ancestors was a stand of redwood trees, some of them tall as the sky. A tree planted for each of those in the clan that had died, created from the ashes of the dead. Yugi found the two saplings, knee-high, standing side-by-side, and knelt down.

"**I failed you." **He whispered, hearing the voices of the ancestors whispering in the rustling of leaves that never fell. A soft sigh like the breath of wind met his ears. **"I was foolish and I got captured and I was not here to save you. I wish there was some way I could make it up to you, I wish they would have punished me too." **

He felt a sensation like a caress on his cheek and lowered his head, allowing his tears to fall freely. The song of the ancestors surrounded him, soft sorrow and gentle healing in the voices he could hear in the rustling of leaves and sigh of wind.

Yugi finally stood and bowed to the saplings respectfully. He paused on his way out of the glen to rest a hand on his grandfather's tree, already tall and strong. Giving into his emotions he wrapped his arms around the tree, hearing his grandfather's soft chuckle amidst the rustling of his leaves. He smiled slightly and wiped at his eyes, smudging his tears across his cheeks.

He walked slowly back to the house, knowing he'd have to face Yami again, but not feeling up to having arguments with his former 'master'. If Yami was to understand, it was going to take him a long time. He heard a voice call his name as he walked up through the houses. He turned and his ears and tail drooped at the sight of Pegasus.

"**Please don't look like that."** The tall Raitoko said, his own ears and tail drooping. He seemed to have aged years. **"I know you did all you could to get back to us."**

"**I should not have been captured in the first place**." Yugi protested. **"I was foolish." **

"**And you paid the price for your foolishness in being captured." **Pegasus said. **"What happened to Cecilia was not your fault, even if you had been here, she and the baby might not have been saved. Do they blame you?"**

"**No, I just came from them." **Yugi said. **"I still cannot help but feel guilty though." **

"**Then let that be your punishment, if you must be punished." **Pegasus said. **"I daresay that's probably worse than any punishment we can come up with. But the human, why save his life?" **

"**I want him to understand." **Yugi said. **"I want him to feel as I felt, trapped, helpless, angry. I want to feel vindicated, and maybe once he has learned his lesson he will think twice about enslaving someone else."**

"**You want to make him better?" **Pegasus asked.

"**I want to try." **


	6. Chapter 6

Star: I own nothing!

Yugi hadn't released Yami from the bonds holding his hands behind his back before he'd left. His arms were starting to ache and whatever the bonds were made out of was cutting into his wrists. He was in a fine temper when Yugi finally stepped through the door again.

"You know, it's kind of hard to touch anything when your hands are still tied behind your back." He snapped at Yugi. Yugi just stared at him expressionlessly. "This hurts!" Yami complained.

"Really?" Yugi asked sarcastically. "I wouldn't know about that, now would I?" He added, staring at Yami with hard eyes. Yami opened his mouth to retort that he had no idea what Yugi was talking about, but then remembered that he'd left Yugi tied up when he'd first got him. He felt embarrassed because Yugi had managed to escape but Yami hadn't.

"Can you let me out?" Yami asked quietly. Yugi muttered something in his own tongue, but untied him. "This whole thing is bullshit, you do realize that?"

"Really?" Yugi said. "Why, because you're suddenly the one who is the slave, and not me?"

"I don't understand what I am being punished for, for doing what everyone does?" Yami argued, running at his wrists.

"Just because everyone does it, doesn't mean it's right, and that's not why you are being punished." Yugi said.

"Then why?" Yami demanded. Yugi turned away from him, silent. "What is with all this life for a life nonsense? Answer me!"

"A woman is dead because of you!" Yugi yelled, rounding on him. Yami backed into the wall at the anger in his eyes. "A child never got a chance to even draw breath, because of you."

"How is that my fault?" Yami demanded.

"You refused to let me leave, I told you that Cecilia was having a hard pregnancy, that I needed to be there, and time and time again you refused to let me go and punished me when I tried to get back to the people that needed me." Yugi hissed. "Cecilia bled out on her birth bed, while her child had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck when she came out. She was born dead, and now Pegasus has lost everything. He had every right to demand both our deaths."

"Both our deaths?" Yami asked.

"I am not innocent, I should not have left the valley without someone to guard me." Yugi said softly, turning away again. "I wasn't there, and I should have been." Yugi's voice was soft and sad, but Yami tried not to feel sorry for him.

"I didn't kill them though, it was inevitable, obviously." Yami protested.

"I could have saved them!" Yugi cried. "They didn't have to die, Yami, they didn't have to die, I could have saved them, I know how!" Yami opened his mouth to protest further. "No, stop talking, I don't want to hear your voice anymore, that's an order."

Yami opened his mouth anyways. "But I-" He stopped talking, feeling the collar around his neck tighten enough to make him feel short of breath. He closed his mouth and glared at Yugi, who simply turned his back and began to rummage around the shelves full of sweet-smelling herbs and little jars.

Yami crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back against the smooth wall behind him. He was definitely not pouting, not that it would do him any good. These backwards savages had made it clear that he was apparently the bad guy in all of this. They just didn't understand because they were so uncivilized.

Someone called Yugi's name at the door and Yugi responded in his own lyrical tongue. The 'chief' walked in with a younger boy beside him. The young boy had navy blue eyes and long shaggy black hair. His ears and tail were black, and his tuft was a steely grey. The chief chattered at Yugi for a second and the boy lifted his shirt sleeve to reveal a long gash in his arm.

Yugi made an exasperated noise and took the boy by his arm. He led him to the little table by the fireplace and made him sit down in one of the two chairs there. Yugi inspected the wound, cleaning the blood off gently with a cloth that had been dipped in water from a nearby clay pot.

The boy said something, sounding defensive and Yugi tweaked his ear, tutting softly. The chief said something to Yugi and Yugi replied, chuckling faintly. The boy did not look impressed, pouting at Yugi, who ruffled his hair gently.

Yugi got up and started taking off lids of jars, sniffing at the contents. He finally selected one and went back to the boy. He dipped his fingers in the jar and smeared a yellowish paste on the boy's arm. Yugi said something sternly to the boy, who hopped out of his seat once the paste was dried on his arm and wandered over to the chief.

The chief said something to Yugi and bowed his head. Yugi smiled slightly, though his tail drooped a little, and bowed back. The chief and the boy left. Yami itched to ask who that boy was, but the collar would choke him if he tried to speak.

Yugi ignored him again, taking firewood and placing it on the fireplace. He used flint of all things to start the fire going, gently blowing on the fire to help the flames along. Once the fire was crackling merrily Yugi moved away, taking a large clay pot and going outside. Yami could already feel the extra warmth from the fire; the dome shape of the house must be helping to keep the whole place heated. Reluctantly he admitted that it was a clever design.

Yugi came back, the pot now full of water. He placed the pot on the fire and walked away again, searching around the shelves once more. He went back to the pot with a couple of ball-like things and dropped them into the boiling water. A very yummy smell began to waft up from the pot and Yami's treacherous stomach growled loudly.

Yugi's ear flicked at the sound, but he didn't acknowledge Yami further. Yami tried not to feel peeved that he was being ignored. He didn't know what was worse, having to obey, or being ignored at this point. Both options made him angry, because there was nothing he could do about either.

He began to wonder if Yugi would make him go hungry for the night. He had made Yugi go without meals when he felt Yugi was being particularly disobedient without having warranted a beating. Yugi didn't need to beat him, not with the collar making certain he would obey, but maybe Yugi would, just for a little bit of revenge.

He jumped when Yugi moved in front of him. Yugi rolled his eyes. "Come sit at the table." He said. "It is time to eat." Yami grunted in acknowledgement. "And you can speak again."

"How kind of you." Yami said sarcastically, following Yugi to the table.

"Yes, aren't I kind?" Yugi replied smugly. He ladled out some of the soup into two bowls and placed one in front of Yami. Yami didn't respond to the obvious dig at him and picked up his spoon, blowing on the hot soup. It had bits of vegetable, herbs and noodles in it.

"How did those little balls make this?" Yami asked.

"Those balls were dried noodles wrapped around herbs and dried vegetables." Yugi explained. "They are good for quick meals and meals when you are on the road. Unfortunately I only have low class food for you." He added sarcastically.

Yami tasted the soup. "This is good!" He said, somewhat surprised. Yugi just rolled his eyes at him. "Who was the boy who came in with your chief?"

"Seto is an official, not a chief, we do not like that word." Yugi replied.

"Why?" Yami asked.

"Because you mean it as a derogatory term, as something barbaric." Yami explained. "The boy is Mokuba, Seto's younger brother."

"What had he done to his arm?" Yami asked.

"Why do you care?" Yugi asked in reply.

"I'm bored and curious." Yami replied.

"He was climbing a tree, and got himself gashed." Yugi said. "Thankfully he did not fall out of it this time. He has a tendency to get himself into trouble. I am thankful that he did not cause himself too much damage in my absence."

"The man from earlier, the blonde, who was he?" Yami asked.

"Jonouchi, he is my best friend, as well as Seto's mate." Yugi explained. "He is the head hunter of our village."

"Who lives with you?" Yami asked. Yugi looked at him blankly. "There are two beds, two chairs, is there not someone else who lives here?"

"I used to live with my grandfather." Yugi said quietly. "But he passed this past summer. He is with the ancestors now."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Yami said.

"Why?" Yugi asked. "You are not sorry for Cecilia and her child, why should you be sorry for my grandfather?" Yami opened his mouth, but couldn't think of what to say. "There is a pool some way into the forest along the path, you can wash the dishes there." Yugi said, getting up. Yami sighed, realizing he'd been dismissed.


	7. Chapter 7

Star: I own nothing!

The sun's light fell on Yugi's face, waking him. He stretched luxuriously, revelling in the fact that he was no longer sleeping on a cot, chained to someone else's bed. He burrowed back into his blankets, choosing to doze for a few minutes longer.

When he threw off his covers he shivered slightly, the fire having burned low over the night. He walked over to the fireplace and put new logs on and got the fire going again. He heard movement behind him, but ignored it for the time being, coaxing the flames higher until they were dancing warmly.

His winter fur was coming in, he was starting to itch. A thick, short pelt of fur would cover his back and chest and extend his hairline into his face a little for most of the winter and then he would shed it in the spring. It offered some protection for his vitals in the middle of the winter, and reminded Yugi that Yami would probably need something warmer than their normal coats if he was to survive the winter.

"This bed is uncomfortable." He heard Yami complain. He sighed, his good mood gone.

"That bed was mine until my grandfather passed away last winter." He informed Yami coolly. "The only reason you find it uncomfortable is because the bed you used to sleep on was ridiculously soft."

"Your bed is nicer." Yami retorted.

"My bed is one of the privileges of my station as healer." Yugi said. "I've earned the right to this bed. The only other one in this village who has one like this is Seto, because they are time consuming and require extensive material to make, they are markers of our responsibility."

Yami huffed and stared at him for a moment. "You're going furry." He commented.

"It is my winter coat." Yugi said shortly. He found the jar with the acorn flour in it and found a large bowl to begin making breakfast. He put his pan, one of the few things made out of metal in the village, on his fire and scooped out a bit of deer fat to grease it.

"You're not going to make me cook?" Yami asked.

"I have my doubts that you can actually cook." Yugi replied. "Have you ever cooked a meal for yourself in your life?" He asked.

"No, I have servants for that." Yami replied, as though that should have been obvious.

"I rest my case." Yugi said. "I prefer not to eat something that's going to make me sick, especially if I have work to do."

"And what will my 'master'." Yami spat the word out like it was vile. "Ask of me today?"

"I will tell you to do the dishes, and then you will walk the village, and see if anyone else requires your help." Yugi replied.

"And I am to obey them, no matter what?" Yami demanded. "What if one of yours wishes me to… service them?"

"Any sort of sexual assault towards another person is punishable by death." Yugi responded. "Sex is considered a sacred act, to violate someone in that manner is considered abhorrent. Your people do not seem to have the same consideration for others."

"It's just sex." Yami groaned.

"Then why did you feel worried that someone would rape you?" Yugi enquired. "If sex is just sex, then it should be good no matter what, by your reasoning."

"Fine, you've made your point." Yami grumbled.

"I would be careful what you say around here, especially in regards to sex, death or ancestors." Yugi advised. "There are certain things that are sure to make someone angry."

"Like what?" Yami demanded. Yugi prepared a meal of acorn pancakes mixed in with raisons, ignoring Yami for a moment to focus.

"Do not insult someone's ancestors in any way, I know you humans like to use son of a bitch or bastard a lot to swear, but those are extremely grave insults here." Yugi explained. "Do not speak ill of the dead, they still listen, and you already know our views on sex."

"The dead still listen, what does that mean?" Yami asked.

"That is not for you to know." Yugi replied. "That is clan secrets, and you are not of the clan."

"Fine, keep your secrets." Yami grumbled. "I don't care."

"Come sit, breakfast is ready." Yugi said. Yami stood up and came to sit at the table.

"What are they?" He asked, eying the pancakes dubiously.

"They are pancakes, made of acorn flour and raisons, they do not bite." Yugi said with some amusement.

"Pancakes usually come with syrup, do they not?" Yami asked.

"These are sweet enough without it." Yugi replied, taking a bite of his pancake. "And besides, the maple trees do not release sap until early spring. We boil most of the sap until it becomes sugar, syrup is for special occasions."

"Seems silly." Yami commented, biting into his pancake.

"You are used to a life of indulgence." Yugi replied. "We have to gather, hunt and make our own food, we must be careful with what we have."

"What kind of life is that?" Yami asked.

"A good one." Yugi said. "We very rarely do not have what we need, and wants are not necessary for our survival, or our happiness. I realize you do not understand this, but I am far happier here, than I would have ever been in your world."

"I would have given you everything you asked for, you would have never wanted for anything." Yami said softly.

"You would have given me everything, except for the only thing that I wanted." Yugi replied, trying not to let his voice shake. "A beautiful cage is still just a cage, and being with you would have been a cage, no matter what you did for me."

He stood up, finding his coat. "I have my rounds to do." He told Yami. "Do the dishes, and then walk the village, looking for people to help."

"Fine, as my 'master' commands." Yami said sarcastically. Yugi just flicked his tail in a rude gesture, which Yami would not understand, but it made him feel better.

%&%&%&%

Yami grumbled as he walked back to Yugi's little home. It had been a long day, and he was tired. He knew Yugi would probably make him do the dishes again though, and he sighed in weary complaint. He missed his bed, his servants, his food and his toys.

He walked inside the house. "Take off your boots." Yugi ordered, stirring something that smelled heavily of meat on the fireplace. Yami groaned, but took off the leather boots with fur lined on the inside that he'd been given off. He had to admit they were comfortable, if a little tight on him.

Yami sat down at the table and massaged his sore hands and wrists. He was just a mass of pain. He'd been made to gather firewood for the forest, do dishes for a few houses, help move things around and helped paint the inside of one of the house. He was supposed to go back tomorrow and put another coat on too.

He looked up as Yugi set down a bowl in front of him. "I'm not hungry." He muttered.

"Sore?" Yugi asked.

"Of course I'm sore." Yami snapped back.

"Eat. You'll need the strength for tomorrow." Yugi replied gently. Yami picked up his spoon, feeling the blisters forming on his hands protest the movements. He grimaced, but ate all the same. He was truthfully starving and the stew was good.

"What's in this?" He asked.

"Deer." Yugi replied. He'd already finished his own dinner and was rummaging around his shelves. He came back to the table with a jar. "This will help with the soreness. Rub it wherever you feel pain."

Yami looked into the jar, finding a faintly pink cream that smelled lightly of cloves. "What about the blisters?" Yami asked.

"Let them go and then they will form callouses." Yugi replied. "Would it kill you to say thank you?" He asked, sounding annoyed.

"Thank you." Yami said reluctantly.

"I'll do the dishes tonight." Yugi said. "You're probably about ready to drop, anyways."

"Yes." Yami agreed. He finished his meal and went over to his bed. He took a dab of the cream and rubbed it into his hands and wrists. It seemed to warm on contact and the warmth seeped into the skin, easing the soreness. He sighed and did the same for every spot on him that he could reach that was sore, and then settled down to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Star: I own nothing!

The second day felt as bad as the first for Yami. No, scratch that, even worse. Despite Yugi's salve he still ached from the day before, and everything he had to do just made his muscles cry out for relief. He had to gather firewood again, and help with the dishes.

Sometime around the middle of the day, if the sun's position was anything to go by, he was flagged down by a man with choppy white hair, dark brown eyes and a wicked smile. "Come on, you need to move my Ryou's kiln."

"What is a kiln?" Yami asked, walking over. He hoped it wasn't something too big. He groaned when the white haired Raitoko pointed out a clay object over half the height of a man tall and as wide as two men his size. It looked like a potbelly on four stubby little legs and was hollow. He understood the wicked grin on the cursed Raitoko's face as he struggled to move the kiln to its new position.

When he finished he made to leave, hoping that he might be able to catch a bit of a break before his next job. "Ah, you're not done yet." The Raitoko said. "I've decided that's too close to the house. You need to move it again."

Yami complied and was just finishing when he caught the smug smile still on the Raitoko's face. "I've changed my mind, move it again." Yami's back and arms felt like they were on fire, but he could not disobey, so he began to lift the heavy kiln again. He had to put it down several times to catch his breath and the Raitoko took to mocking him each time.

"Soft little human, it's a wonder your species can do anything." The Raitoko said. "If I could I'd tell you to go kill-"

"BAKURA!" The white-haired Raitoko flinched and turned around slowly. Yami, still trying to catch his breath, looked around for the voice. Another Raitoko, who looked a lot like the first, though he looked softer, softer hair, softer eyes, softer features, and a silvery plume on his tail as opposed to all white like Bakura.

"Ryou…" Bakura said, smiling innocently. He continued in the Raitoko's tongue. Ryou didn't seem impressed and snapped something back at him. Bakura's ears and tail wilted and his tone took on a bit of a whine. Ryou shook his head and gestured at their house with his tail. Bakura threw Yami an annoyed look and stomped off.

Yami collapsed to the ground, groaning softly. "I am sorry, how many times did he make you move that?" Ryou asked.

"I was on the third." Yami answered between wheezes. Ryou said something in his own tongue that didn't sound very happy.

"We are not supposed to be working you to death, we are meant to make you work as we would work." Ryou said. "I am sorry, Bakura is a good man, he simply holds grudges and thinks mean things are funny."

"Why are you apologizing to me?" Yami asked, bemused.

"Because you are not meant to be hurt this way." Ryou said. "It is dishonourable. Come, I will help you back to Yugi's house."

Yami groaned when Ryou gripped his arm and the Raitoko backed away. Yami stood up by himself, wavering a little. Ryou led the way back to Yugi's house, waving off curious onlookers. Yami could tell he was keeping an eye on him, just in case he collapsed.

Yugi was inside, making some form of herbal concoction and looked confused when Ryou brought Yami in. Ryou spoke to Yugi in their tongue and Yugi began to look both concerned and annoyed. Yugi spoke shortly in reply to Ryou and then lifted his tail to brush against Ryou's shoulder. It seemed to be a friendly gesture, because Ryou smiled and returned it.

Ryou then left and Yugi turned to Yami. "Where does it hurt most?" He asked gently.

"Back, shoulders and arms." Yami said.

"Sit down." Yugi said. "I am sorry about Bakura, he likes to cause trouble. Since he became mates with Ryou his trouble-making tendencies have gone down, but I think he felt he could get away with treating you poorly."

"I thought that this was supposed to be punishment, shouldn't you want people treating me badly?" Yami asked.

"No, because that is not the point." Yugi said. "You learn nothing from that sort of pain, I am proof of that, am I not?"

"I suppose you are." Yami admitted. Yugi helped him remove his coat and shirt. He gritted his teeth against the pain. Yugi's small hands probed his arms, digging in when Yami hissed in pain. "Why are you causing me more pain?" He demanded.

"Your muscles are tense and strained." Yugi replied, digging his fingers deeper and making Yami yelp. "I am helping them to relax, otherwise you will stiffen up completely."

His muscles do seem to feel better once Yugi is done with his prodding and massaging, and Yami willingly gave Yugi his other arm to repeat the process. Yugi refused to look right at him, focusing on his arm. In any other situation Yami would consider this intimate, but right now he was just wondering how Yugi felt having to take care of someone he clearly despised.

"Lie down on your stomach." Yugi instructed. Yami obeyed, surprised that Yugi was going to go this far.

"Are you…?" He started.

"You will be bent nearly in half if I do not, and I have no intention of listening to you whine all day." Yugi replied sharply. His hands were gentle though when he began to massage Yami's back. Yami groaned, th pain of his back fading to warmth under Yugi's talented fingers.

"I will be speaking to Seto, and he will remind the village of the rules of conduct with slaves." Yugi said.

"That's such an ugly word." Yami said without thinking.

"An ugly word for an ugly situation." Yugi said. "Be lucky that eventually you will be freed, not many have that option in your world."

"Must you?" Yami asked.

"You are the one who brought it up." Yugi reminded him. Yami grumbled, but didn't say anymore. Yugi's movements began to lull him into a light doze. At least, until there was a knock at the door and Yugi's hands left him.

Yugi said something and the door opened, allowing in a very pregnant woman and a man who was obviously her husband. The woman was voluptuously curvy, with cascading curls of blonde hair. Her tail and ears were a slightly darker shade of blonde and her plume was black. The man had softly spiked brown hair with black ears and tail. He was smaller than the woman too.

Yami listened to Yugi speak to them and figured out that their names were Mai and Valon. Valon spoke with a different accent than the others in the village. Mai suddenly looked at him with vibrant purple eyes, a few shades darker than Yugi's and then said something to Yugi.

"Turn your back." Yugi said.

"What?" Yami said.

"Turn your face to the wall." Yugi explained. "She does not want you looking at her."

"Fine." Yami grumbled, rolling onto his side to stare at the wall. Yugi and Mai spoke together and Yami could hear someone shuffling around behind him. He resisted the urge to look, knowing that the collar would only tighten around his neck.

Mai's voice was sharp, worried, and Yugi's answers to her were in a soothing tone. After several long minutes he heard shuffling again and the door of the house closed. "You can turn around now." Yugi said.

"What was the matter with her?" Yami asked.

"You saw Mai was pregnant?" Yugi asked in reply. Yami nodded. "She fears for the baby. What happened to Cecilia has shaken much of the village."

"Oh." Yami felt a little bad for bringing it up. Obviously the death of one of their own, and a child that never got a chance to live, was a sore subject. It wasn't his fault though, he told himself. The words did not reassure him. "What now? Do I go back to work?"

"No, you are resting." Yugi said. "If you try to work anymore today you may cause yourself irreversible damage."

"Well, thank you for your concern." Yami said sarcastically. "I'm sure you'd hate to see me have to stop working."

"If you cannot work, they may kill you yet." Yugi said quietly. Yami had not considered that. "Now please, quiet, I am working."


	9. Chapter 9

Star: I own nothing!

Yami woke up sore but not in agony as he feared he would. Yugi seemed to have been up for a little while already, if the bowl sitting by his bed was any indication. He sat up slowly, waiting for the pain to flare up, but sighed in relief when it did not. He looked around, but Yugi was nowhere to be found.

He sat with his legs over the edge of the bed, digging his toes into the furs covering the floor. The fire was burning merrily away, so Yugi couldn't have been gone that long. Yami pulled the bowl to him and began to eat, slowly.

As he was finishing Yugi came in the door and Yami caught the sight of snowflakes dotting his hair. "It's snowing?" He asked.

"Yes, the first of the season." Yugi said. His cheeks were flushed rosy pink and his eyes were bright and excited. He looked so beautiful and Yami had to look away. He'd lost his chance with Yugi, and he was starting to come to the realization that he never had a chance to begin with. He started pulling a few things off his shelves, a necklace made of tiny bones, a belt of dyed red cloth and what looked like a recorder.

"What are those for?" Yami asked.

"That is not for you to know." Yugi replied. "How is the pain?"

"I ache, but it's not bad." Yami said. "Not sure I can work." He added.

"You will not be, not today." Yugi said.

"Why?" Yami asked.

"That is a clan secret." Yugi said. "You will not be leaving the house today, if you do, you will be killed."

"Why?" Yami asked.

"It is taboo." Yugi said. "Some things are not for the eyes of outsiders."

"So you kill them?" Yami asked, aghast.

"The power would." Yugi replied. "What we do is powerful, and those that aren't steeped in the magic of this place, as those of the clans are, would be overwhelmed by it. That is why there are certain places you do not go, because the power there would destroy you, because you are not of that same power."

"What, you mean like magic?" Yami asked.

"I mean the power of the earth, of Life itself." Yugi said. "I cannot say more, it is forbidden."

"That's incredibly disappointing." Yami complained.

"That's life." Yugi replied. "Don't go outside today, just rest. Would you like me to give you something that will put you to sleep?"

"No, I will be fine." Yami grumbled.

"Ah yes, you are used to idleness." Yugi said with a wry twist to his mouth. Yami huffed and looked away from him. He looked up as something chimed outside in a high, melancholy note. "It's time for me to go now." Yugi said. He pulled off his shirt, standing in only pants, sash and necklace with his pelt of fur covering his chest and back. It looked so strange, but Yami didn't have time to gawk before Yugi was out the door.

Yami laid back down on the bed and tried to get comfortable enough for a nap. The bed was too hard. He growled, wondering how Yugi was ever able to spend an entire childhood sleeping on something like this. He just stayed laying there, scowling at the wall, finding that he was in fact getting bored.

Slowly he became aware of some sound from somewhere outside. It started soft, almost too soft for him to hear, soft chimes and the trill of a flute-like instrument. The singing started not long after, an eerie sound not unlike the howl of wind through the trees. The sound of it makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and suddenly he's not so sure he wants to know what's going on.

The eerie singing went on for what seemed like hours, with the trees rustling and the wind sighing gently through the air. Yami was sure some kind of arcane ritual was going on. He'd heard stories that clans like these sacrificed people to their gods and he shivered, grateful that he was inside and not out there.

What felt like a long time later Yugi came back in, somehow sweating despite his state of undress. "Did you sacrifice anyone out there?" Yami asked snidely. Yugi bared his teeth and hissed angrily at him. "Sorry, sorry!" Yami yelped, backing into the wall.

"We do not throw away lives so easily." Yugi said.

"There are just stories, of you giving people to the trees or something like that." Yami said defensively. Yugi stared at him for a moment and then laughed.

"Oh, you humans always manage to get the simplest things wrong." He said.

"What?" Yami asked. "So there is something to do with people and trees?"

"Nothing I can tell you." Yugi replied shortly.

"You're annoying." Yami grumbled.

"We were appealing for a safe winter, as we do every year." Yugi said. "The gods like to hear and have pretty things, so we sing for them, in return they protect us."

"Then why didn't your people appeal to the gods to protect them when you were gone?" Yami asked. Yugi bristled, the fur on his back standing up. He looked like a pissed off cat.

"The gods only help those who help themselves." He replied tightly. Yami bit his lip and looked away; he'd fucked up again. He always seemed to say the thing when it came to Yugi. Not that it truly mattered, Yugi already hated him anyways. Yami was silent for a little while, watching Yugi make some kind of paste.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" Yami shook his head. "I used to make snowmen, when the first good snow came down."

"The children do that here too." Yugi said. "it's not very good snow for that today though."

"No?" Yami asked.

"Just little flurries." Yugi said. "it's very pretty though."

"I'll bet." Yami said, shifting on the bed.

"How is the pain?" Yugi asked.

"Not bad." Yami admitted.

"I'll go for a walk with you in a little bit, you should move around even just a little bit today, otherwise you'll completely stiffen up." Yugi said.

"Right." Yami said.

"I've already spoken with Seto, and he's reminded everyone that you are not to be worked to death or made to do unnecessary tasks."

"How kind of him." Yami said.

"Keeping the peace." Yugi replied. "People are afraid, and angry Yami, because of you. Seto must keep them from being that."

"You keep saying it's my fault, but all I did was uphold my duty as your master." Yami said.

"I am not going to argue about this with you again." Yugi sighed, exasperated. "You do not understand why your actions were wrong and that is what this punishment is about."

"If I couldn't force you to see my point of view, what makes you think you can force me to see yours?" Yami asked.

"I am not forcing anything." Yugi said. "The only thing you are forced to do is work. Anything you learn is all up to you."

"But you're still doing what I did with not letting you go home." Yami pointed out.

"Yes, and don't you miss it?" Yugi said. Yami did. He missed his house, his things, and he wondered if his father was still searching for him and if he'd been given up for dead. "The difference between you and me is, you have committed a crime in the eyes of our law and you are being imprisoned because of it. I had done nothing wrong and was being imprisoned because of your whims."

"My whims." Yami repeated.

"Yes, whims. Because as soon as you had gotten bored of me you would have found a new toy to play with." Yugi stated.

"I would not have." Yami said defensively.

"Yes, you would have." Yugi said, his tone ending the argument.


	10. Chapter 10

Star: I own nothing!

The days turned into weeks and Yami fell into a pattern. He'd wake up, have breakfast, and then go out and look for work. The snows were falling, and the village was covered in a thick layer of white. There were ropes between each house, festooned with bells and chimes. When Yami had asked about them, Yugi had explained that it was to prevent someone from getting lost if they had to go out in a snowstorm. Yami had gotten used to the sound of them jingling in the wind.

His body had grown stronger, the work no longer made him want to die at the end of the day. The blisters on his hands had turned to callouses, hard and rough. While he had never been fat, he was embarrassed to find that after weeks of working he had to tighten his belt around his waist.

The villagers didn't seem to regard him with the same disgust as they had in the first days. They were not friendly to him, but they seemed to tolerate him politely, like a distant relative that wasn't very well liked. Yugi treated him with the same vague tolerance, and that shouldn't have hurt, but it did all the same.

Yami wondered every day if his father had given up the search for him, if he'd given him up for dead. He wondered if his father was sick with worry for him, or if he'd moved on and was looking for a new heir already. Yami wondered if his friends missed him at all, or if they'd already forgotten him.

Yugi's people hadn't forgotten him, but Yugi was important to them. Yami had not served such an important function in his household; in fact he barely did anything at this point but learn about his father's business and party with friends. Would anyone even be happy to see him when his punishment was over?

He was starting to understand the worries that must have plagued Yugi the entire time he was enslaved, except Yugi had even more things to worry about. He could see the worry in their faces every time someone came to ask Yugi for help; would he still be there this time? That's what they seemed to be thinking anyways. To have to depend on one person to take care of everyone, what that must be like.

Yami was woken up in the middle of the night by someone pounding at the door and yelling. He cursed and threw his blanket over his head. Yugi was up though, wrenching open the door and letting the freezing outside air inside. Whoever was at the door spoke rapidly, fearfully.

"Yami, come, we are needed." Yugi said to him, taking out a leather satchel and shoving jars and herbs into it.

"What's going on?" Yami asked, pulling on his clothes.

"No time to explain right now, I'll tell you on the way." Yugi replied, speaking again to the one who had interrupted his sleep. Yami now recognised him as a man named Honda, who had a wife named Serenity and a little girl named Haru. Yami nodded his head and pulled his boots on and then headed out into the snow with Yugi.

"Haru is sick." Yugi explained. "Honda suspects it is the red fever, which is very, very bad."

"Why?" Yami asked.

"It is very contagious, and very hard to combat." Yugi replied. "The last time the fever was seen, long before my grandfather's time, half the village died of it that time. If we can prevent it from spreading at the first patient then we should be alright."

"How contagious are we talking?" Yami asked. In answer Yugi handed him a handkerchief.

"Put this over your mouth and nose, do not take it off while you are inside." Yugi instructed. "Do not touch your eyes or your mouth unless you have washed your hands in show beforehand. We will be quarantining the child, only the family and us will be going in and once we have gotten the fever down everything must be cleaned and any clothes and furs must be burned."

"That bad?" Yami asked.

"Very, very bad." Yugi agreed. "Thanks be to the ancestors that I am here." He added in a whisper. Yami looked at him for a moment, not liking the grim look on his face. Honda's black tail with its light brown tuft thrashed in agitation as he moved at a near jog just ahead of them, clearly freaking out.

They were ushered inside by Serenity, whose light blonde ears and tail were flicking in agitation. She spoke quickly to Yugi, her voice choked by tears. Yugi said something back, reassuringly, and then went to the crib where Haru lay.

The poor child had a painful looking red rash over her skin and was breathing in little gasps, which were interspersed with weak coughs. Yugi asked something and Serenity responded again, shaking her head. Yugi reached down to lay a hand on Haru's forehead and hissed softly.

"Yami, I need you to get snow, wrap it in this blanket." Yugi ordered him. "Do not go far." Yami nodded his head and went outside to collect snow in the little blanket he was given. He brought it back inside and gave it to Yugi. Yugi tucked the folded blanket against Haru's side and began to dig in his satchel. "Yami, you stay by the wall and be silent unless I need something from you, do you understand?"

Yami swallowed, the seriousness of Yugi's tone brought the reality of the situation to him. "I understand." He said hoarsely.

"Good." Yugi said.

After that the only time they spoke was when Yugi would tell him to get something, usually more snow, or sometimes something that Yugi was running out of from the house. Occasionally Yugi would speak to him in his own tongue, and Serenity would translate. Yugi was stressed, so Yami didn't take it personally when Yugi glared at him for not understanding him.

Yami didn't know what day it was anymore, the hours blurred together in a confused rush of sunrises and sunsets. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Yugi sighed and stepped away, saying something softly to the parents. Serenity collapsed, tears on her face and for a moment Yami feared the worst, but then he saw she was smiling.

"We need to bathe first, and burn everything, then we can go home." Yugi told him gently. Yami nodded his head, suddenly feeling bone-dead tired. Their clothes, and any bedding, cloth and other soft materials from the house were burned, and each of them was subjected to a scalding hot wash with cloths. Afterwards, Yugi, Serenity and Honda rolled in the snow outside, completely naked. Yugi told him not to, saying he would only catch hypothermia if he tried and that he probably couldn't carry the disease anyways.

The two of them trudged back to the house, the light of the early morning sun casting long shadows on the snow. "Thank you for your help." Yugi said suddenly.

"I had to help." Yami pointed out, surprised.

"Yes, but you did not complain about no sleeping and you did everything I asked quickly and efficiently." Yugi replied. "And for that, I thank you. Now, I just pray that we caught the fever before it could spread."

Yami almost said 'me too', but then thought better of it. He thought about the terror on the parents' faces, and thought about a village without a healer to keep the fever from spreading. He found that he was starting to understand why the people here considered his actions a crime.

Perhaps it wasn't the way things were done where he was from, but he was in their world now, and in their world, having a healer was a necessity for survival, so anyone that took away their healer was considered a criminal, never mind the fact that his own culture considered slaves a viable resource.

It didn't matter to them that he had just been doing what was always done, to the Raitoko he was in the wrong and therefore needed to be punished. A woman and a child were dead, and someone needed to pay. Did that make it right? Yami wasn't so sure, but the more he thought about it, the more he understood the reasoning, and that made him think more about slavery.

All those slaves had people who loved them, maybe people who looked to them, as the Raitoko looked to Yugi. Was it right that they be bound and forced to work for another, forced to leave their families, their friends, their livelihoods?

Yami had scoffed at the slowly growing faction of people that were anti-slavery, thinking that they were just bleeding hearts, but now he wasn't so sure anymore. Did anyone have a right to keep another person, be they human or otherwise, as though they were property?

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize he was just standing on the edge of his bed until Yugi touched his shoulder. "Sleep." Yugi said. "It is time to sleep."

"Right, right." Yami said. He stripped down and settled onto his bed. In mere moments he was asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Star: I own nothing!

"What are you working on?" Yugi had heard that question a lot since the incident with the red fever. Yami seemed to have traded his questions about the morality of his imprisonment with questions about Yugi's work. Yugi wasn't sure if he was relieved, or more annoyed.

"It is ointment that helps with the healing of wounds." He explained.

"What is it made of?" Yami asked.

"There is a particular plant that has leaves that have soft hairs on the outside and are thick and gelatinous on the inside." Yugi said.

"What do you call this plant?" Yami asked. Yugi tried not to sigh. At least they weren't arguing anymore.

"The name translates to rabbit's ear, because of its softness." Yugi said.

"I think I might know that one." Yami commented. "I think we use the same kind of name for it."

"Interesting." Yugi said.

"Do… do you need any help?" Yami asked. That was new. Yugi stopped what he was doing and looked around at him. Yami shrugged. "I've got nothing else to do right now."

"I suppose you could assist." Yugi said. Yami got up from his seated position on his bed and walked over to stand beside Yugi. "What I need from these is the gel, if you would crush the leaves and transfer the gel to the pot for me."

"Of course." Yami said, getting straight to work. Yugi crushed the seeds that would go in with the gel. "What are those?"

"Seeds from the blood flower, they help with pain." Yugi explained.

"And the gel does what?" Yami asked.

"Stop bleeding, promote healing." Yugi replied. "Do you not have things like this?"

"Yes, we do, but I've never given much thought to where they came from, how they were made, they were just there." Yami explained with a shrug. "I guess that I've taken some things for granted."

"That happens when you become disconnected from nature." Yugi said. "I do not understand how your people live like that, keeping the forest out, behind walls."

"I guess we just got used to it." Yami said.

"I don't think I could ever." Yugi said. "The forest is in my blood, in my soul, and being away from it is like losing a limb." He'd never admitted that, when he was captive, that the call in his blood for the forest made him ache, all the time.

"When I… did it hurt you, to be separated from the forest like you were?" Yami asked, sounding hesitant.

"Yes." Yugi admitted. "All the time."

"I'm sorry." Yami said softly. "If I'd known… who am I kidding I wouldn't have done anything if I'd known except maybe put a flower in the room or something."

"That would not have done much good." Yugi said, trying to hide a smile. Yami had sounded so disgusted with himself. It seemed like he was actually learning something.

"I figured." Yami said. "May I ask a question about your tail?"

"Depends on the question." Yugi replied.

"I've seen couples together, and sometimes one of them will stroke the other's tail, or twine their tails together, and often they seem annoyed or embarrassed that I've seen." Yami said. "So, is the tail considered an intimate spot?"

"The thing about the tail is it is very sensitive, and so to allow someone else to touch the tail is considered an act of trust, and so I suppose yes, it could be considered an intimate spot." Yugi said.

"Thank you, for answering my question." Yami said.

"You're welcome." Yugi murmured. He saw Yami's small smile of happiness out of the corner of his eye and looked away, frowning at the seeds. He was not going to soften towards Yami, he was not.

%&%&%&%

Spring was coming soon, or so Yami hoped. The cold had turned to a wet cold and the icicles on the trees dripped down on him constantly, slipping down his back. The snow on the ground was wet too, making his boots damp and cold.

Not to mention the fact that spring meant that he was probably going to be freed. To be honest he wasn't so sure how he felt about that anymore. He was used to the work, he was used to this place. What did he really have back home that was so great? Heir to a great trading empire? He wasn't really sure that was for him anyways, too much math, too much politics in the end.

The people here didn't seem to mind him so much anymore, though they never went out of their way to be kind to him, but they would say hello to him, or smile at him when he came around. Even Yugi didn't seem so cold to him anymore, though Yami thought it helped that he wasn't trying to argue with him anymore.

He could hear voices, sounding like they were by the frozen pond and went to investigate, to see if anyone needed help over there. When he got there he found Mokuba, and another young boy, Noa, playing on the frozen pond. Yami shook his head, thinking it was probably the last time they'd be able to play on the ice before it became too weak.

As he was turning to go he heard a sharp crack and then a startled exclamation from one of the children. He turned around to see Mokuba standing shock still as the ice under and around his feet cracked and groaned. Noa was backing away, seemingly at Mokuba's insistence, both their voices shrill and afraid.

Yami ran out onto the ice, hearing the ice cracking under his own feet. He shouted at Noa to get off the ice and ran to Mokuba. In one smooth movement he gripped Mokuba by the collar of his jacket and tossed him towards the shore. Mokuba landed on his feet, cat-like and ran the last few feet to solid ground, just as the ice under Yami's feet split, dropping him into the icy cold water.

The cold was like a punch in the chest, it knocked the air from his lungs. He swallowed water that felt like it was freezing his insides as he clawed his way back up to the surface. His hands scrabbled for purchase on the edges of the ice and as he blinked his eyes, trying to clear them he could see Mokuba and Noa running away.

"Wait!" He tried to scream, but the words came out as a pathetic whisper. He clawed at the ice, trying to pull himself up onto it. He got halfway out when the ice cracked beneath him again and dunked him back into the water. His flailing leg caught on something and pain tore through his leg. He cried out, swallowing more water and clawed at the ice again.

He stopped trying to pull himself out when he heard the ice cracking again and just held still, his arms on the ice, his head above the water and the rest of him submerged in frigid water. He panted, already feeling numb in his fingers and toes. The rest of him stung with cold and he shivered violently, teeth chattering. He wondered if anyone would come before he froze to death.

Suddenly he saw Jonouchi running up with Mokuba in tow. Jonouchi hissed something when he saw Yami and uncoiled the rope that was slung over his shoulder. Yami watched, feeling dizzy and numb, as he made a loose lasso with the rope. Jonouchi threw the lasso, so that it struck Yami's numb hands.

"You need to pull that over your head and arms, so that it will tighten under your armpits, do you understand?" Jonouchi called. Yami tried to speak, but his teeth were chattering too much, so he just nodded his head. His numbed hands could barely grip the rope, but he managed to get the loop over his head and arms.

"Okay, good. Now, see if you can get horizontal, like you're floating on top of the water, it'll make it easier for me to pull you out." Jonouchi said. Yami nodded again and kicked his frozen legs, struggling to try and make himself float. "Okay, okay that's fine, you're just going to wear yourself out."

Jonouchi began to pull on the rope and Yami felt the lasso tighten around him for a moment just growing tighter and tighter. Then he was starting to move, sliding across the surface of the ice even as it cracked beneath him. He tried to hold onto the rope but his numbed hands couldn't grip anymore and he just let his hands drop and trail beside him. As soon as he was close to the shore Jonouchi gripped him under the arms, lifting him up. He was hissing something that sounded like a curse as he lifted Yami up into his arms.

Yami moaned in pain and tried to huddle closer to the warmth of Jonouchi's body. Jonouchi began to run, his movements jostling Yami's injured leg. Yami's vision swam and then slowly went completely dark.


End file.
